Ahead of Trump Facebook ruling, here’s how social media sites handle world leaders
(Reuters) - Facebook's independent oversight board on Wednesday will announce whether it is overturning the company's suspension of former US President Donald Trump's account. The long-awaited ruling will bring the focus back onto how the world's largest social network decides what world leaders and politicians can and can't say on their platforms.
Here is how big tech companies deal with this thorny issue:
WHO GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT?
Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc currently have rules that give world leaders, elected officials and political candidates greater latitude than ordinary users.
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT RULES?
Twitter says it errs on the side of leaving content up when it is in the public interest, including keeping a record to hold leaders accountable. It also allows leaders to interact with other public figures and engage in "foreign policy saber-rattling."
In March, Twitter began adding warnings to and restricting the reach of some world leaders' tweets that would be removed if sent by the average user. Twitter also says it pulls world leaders' tweets down for offenses like promoting terrorism or posting private information.
The company's "newsworthiness exemption" also allows politicians' rule-breaking posts on the site if the public interest outweighs the harm.
Facebook, which had occasionally removed Trump's content for violations like COVID-19 misinformation before he was banned, faced employee backlash for its inaction on inflammatory posts including one during anti-racism protests that said "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
Alphabet Inc's YouTube says it does not have different rules for world leaders, though its exception for "educational" or "documentary" content does allow certain news coverage of politicians making rule-breaking statements.
After the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Twitter banned Trump for breaking its "glorification of violence" rules, departing somewhat from precedent to take possible interpretations of his tweets into account.
Facebook blocked Trump's accounts on its platforms indefinitely. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the current context meant the risks of allowing him to use the service were "simply too great."
A slew of online platforms barred the former president, including Snapchat, which had already removed him from its Discover program, and Amazon-owned Twitch, which had previously suspended him for hateful content in June.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER GLOBAL LEADERS?
Human rights groups have argued that the tech firms need to apply standards consistently to other global leaders.
Facebook's suspension of Trump followed bans in recent years of some government officials, including in India and Myanmar for promoting violence, but the company had never before blocked a current president, prime minister or head of state.
In March, Facebook put a 30-day freeze on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's page for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Both Maduro and Bolsonaro have previously had content removed by Facebook and Twitter for this reason during the pandemic.
Earlier this year, Facebook banned the Myanmar military from the site after they took power in a coup. U.N. human rights investigators have previously said the platform played a key role in fomenting violence in Myanmar.
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
Facebook has asked its oversight board to give recommendations along with the Trump decision, while Twitter opened a public survey.